The recent jury decision to award a Missouri peach farmer $265 million for damage from a neighboring farms’ use of dicamba – a volatile herbicide – illustrates that we are at a public turning point in the future of agriculture. Stretching back as far as the early 1990s, farming took a sharp turn towards so-called technological ‘chemical’ developments that purported to make farming easier, more profitable, and less damaging to the environment. We have seen how Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) shifted the global farming industry towards chemical-based, proprietary solutions such as Roundup (glyphosate) and GMO seeds. They did this, despite their claims, not in order to make farming easier or less damaging, but to gain more control, more profits, and more power over our food systems and farmers. And, well, they succeeded. But farmers and consumers are now fighting back.

Dicamba and glyphosate aren’t the only examples of technology gone awry. Neonicotinoids, once touted as safe alternative insecticides, are implicated as being a major contributor to the decline of pollinators and insects worldwide. They are now banned in the EU, though we can’t seem to get enough of them in the US. Corteva’s decision to stop production of chlorpyrifos is another indication of the impacts of consumer and environmental pressures. There are numerous other examples of agrochemical technologies causing massive damage to the environment with impacts unseen except by the most cynical prognosticators. Glyphosate and neonics are just the ones that have hit the headlines recently.

Despite the best efforts of hippies and back-to-the-landers to make organic the norm and bring people back to the land, we have been moving further away from nature and closer to cold technology, all the while realizing what we’ve given away when we allowed Monsanto and other agrochemical behemoths to dictate the rules of the farm. We’re seeing an extension of these technological power-grabs in how equipment manufacturers are making on-farm repairs impossible and forcing farmers to give them ownership of data derived from computerized tractors and implements. Yet, there is a bright light on the hill: a move, not back, but towards a more sustainable future.

In 1924 Rudolf Steiner gave his famous agriculture course (a series of lectures about biodynamic farming) to a group of farmers that were already worried about the decline in soil health and crop productivity they were seeing. Bear in mind this was after WW1, before WW2, and before the agrochemical industry really started to take off and do major damage to the global environment. Today, nearly 100 years later, we are seeing the outcome of a lack of action to make farming more nature-based and instead relying too heavily on reductionist thinking, that includes the monstrous takeover by synthetic chemicals and fertilizers in how we grow food. But Steiner predicted the outcome we’re experiencing today. So, the time has come to move the dial in the other direction and back to more nature-based farming practices.

Biodynamic agriculture, as we see it growing today, could not have happened 150 years ago. The world was not ready. More importantly, humanity was not ready. We needed to reach a certain point in our cultural and agrarian evolution where we had the knowledge, wisdom and experiences to put into place Steiner’s vision. Today, for better or worse, we are ready. One of the interesting things about biodynamics is that the more I study it, the more I realize there is a Core Truth there that brings together western science, eastern philosophy, and anthroposophy in a synergistic way. This core truth is the center of energy that drives biodynamic agriculture’s success. It is why it works.

Rudolf Steiner framed the need for biodynamics by saying the poor quality of food we were eating was seriously diminishing our capacity to interact on a spiritual level and achieve the things we were capable of as a species. On March 14, I will be conducting a workshop entitled The Promise of Biodynamics 2020. This year’s version focuses on creating an agronomic foundation for the practical use of biodynamics in most farm and orchard settings. Revitalizing our farms and orchards so that the food we produce and eat allows us to achieve a higher energetic level in concert with nature as a clear path to healing ourselves and the planet. In this course, we will cover basic and advanced concepts of biodynamics tying them to practical farming and orcharding techniques. And since we’re on the cusp of a new spring, we’ll also discuss waking up your farm and orchard biodynamically. Please join us at RedByrd Orchard and Cider in Trumansburg, NY. There will be a cider tasting afterwards. Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by March 1) Sign up here!

Orchard People Podcast #52 - Developing a Spray Schedule

On New Year's Eve I spent a little over an hour with Susan Poizner of Orchard People discussing developing a spray schedule, the ins and outs of various sprays, disease and insect development, and a variety of other issues related to good orchard management. The podcast link and YouTube distillation are up and running for your listening and viewing pleasure

Full Podcast: Orchard People podcast #52
YouTube: Orchard People podcast #52

For more information about Orchard People, please go to:
LEARN ABOUT FRUIT TREES: 
COURSES: OrchardPeople.com's Online Certificate in Fruit Tree Care 
BOOK: Award-Winning Fruit Tree Care Book Growing Urban Orchards
RADIO SHOW AND PODCAST: The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: 
Orchard People Youtube Channel
OrchardPeople on Facebook
Susan Poizner on Twitter
 

Know Your Roots 2020- Workshop and Seminar Schedule
Sign up for all Know Your Roots orchard workshops for just $275. The Cornell CCE and Midsummer Farm workshops not included. For more information or register go to: https://knowyouroots.com/orchard-classes1.html. Or contact Mike Biltonen at mike@knowyouroots.com

The Promise of Biodynamics 2020
Saturday, March 14, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – RedByrd Orchard and Cider, 4491 Reynolds Road, Trumansburg, NY.
Rudolf Steiner framed the need for biodynamics by saying the poor quality of food we were eating was seriously diminishing our capacity to interact on a spiritual level and achieve the things we were capable of as a species. And this was in the 1920s! The Promise of Biodynamics 2020 focuses on creating an agronomic foundation for the practical use of biodynamics in most farm and orchard settings. Revitalizing our farms and orchards so that the food we produce and eat allows us to achieve a higher energetic level in concert with nature as a clear path to healing ourselves and the planet. In this course, we will cover basic and advanced concepts of biodynamics tying them to practical farming and orcharding techniques. And since we’re on the cusp of a new spring, we’ll also discuss waking up your farm and orchard biodynamically.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by March 1)
 
Transitioning Conventional Perennial Crops to Organic and Beyond!!
Monday, March 23, 2020 – 6-8pm
Location – Human Services Complex, Rm 120, Montour Falls, NY
Thinking of transitioning an apple orchard and perennial fruiting system from conventional system to an organic/holistic/biodynamic system? This workshop focuses on the practices you’ll need to consider in order to complete a successful transition. Brought to you by Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County.
Workshop fee is $30, pre-registration is required. https://www.facebook.com/events/756892041463247/
 
The Promise of Biodynamics 2020
Sunday, March 29, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – Midsummer Farm, Warwick, NY.
Rudolf Steiner framed the need for biodynamics by saying the poor quality of food we were eating was seriously diminishing our capacity to interact on a spiritual level and achieve the things we were capable of as a species. And this was in the 1920s! The Promise of Biodynamics 2020 focuses on creating an agronomic foundation for the practical use of biodynamics in most farm and orchard settings. Revitalizing our farms and orchards so that the food we produce and eat allows us to achieve a higher energetic level in concert with nature as a clear path to healing ourselves and the planet. In this course, we will cover basic and advanced concepts of biodynamics tying them to practical farming and orcharding techniques. And since we’re on the cusp of a new spring, we’ll also discuss waking up your farm and orchard biodynamically.
Register with Midsummer Farm at their web site.
http://www.midsummerfarm.com/pdc-guest-teachers.html
 
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Regenerative Orchardists
Saturday, April 18, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – Indian Creek Farm/Cummins Nursery, 1408 Trumansburg Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 , NY. Specific Location – TBD
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is not a static science or set of practices, it is a dynamic and practical toolkit that serves all growers equally...if they know how to use it. As we move towards a more holistic future, the power of IPM as science and practice increases our ability to manage pest pressures and ensure crop productivity without the use of toxic chemicals and fertilizers. In this workshop, we’ll discuss primary and secondary spring insect and disease pests of apples, IPM tools and strategies, use of biodynamic preps, developing a disease suppressive soil, and even create a skeleton spray program for a typical northeastern apple grower.  We'll cover basic spray application theory and practice, as well. We'll spend a good portion of the time in the field [weather pending], so come prepared.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by Apr 4)
 
Radical Pomology! Orchard Ecosystem Management
Saturday, May 9, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – Trumansburg, NY. Specific Location – TBD
As Regenerative Agriculture becomes the rallying cry of progressive farmers everywhere, comprehensively understanding Soil Health, Plant Stress, & Understory Management is critical to stewarding your orchard ecosystem towards a balanced and vibrant state. Soil health is no longer just viewed as simple chemical and mineral inputs, but on managing the underlying soil food web (biology), as well as biochemical and mineral interactions. Good soil health drives healthy plants which in turn feed the soil food web that creates a disease suppressive soil. Managing plant stress ensures healthy plant compounds that drive its own immunity process are fully functioning. Ecosystem Management is a comprehensive, holistic approach underlying a basic understanding that the orchard is an interactive biologically-driven organism unto itself. Cabon sequestration, composting, Indigenous MicroOrganisms, compost teas, biochar, and other regenerative practices will be discussed.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by Apr 25)
 
Regenerative Orcharding for the Summer Season
Saturday, June 27, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – Trumansburg, NY. Specific Location – TBD
We're at the midpoint of the season. The crop is set. The bulk of the insect and disease pests are out of the way, now all we have to do is guide the orchard to the finish line. Right! Now the fun really begins. Summer disease and insect pests can be as problematic as the early spring ones. Setting the orchard up for a quality productive crop, but also good return bloom are critical steps in the life cycle of any apple orchard. We'll also cover primary and secondary summer insect and disease pests of apples, IPM tools and strategies, use of biodynamic preps, and even create a summer spray program for the typical northeastern apple grower. We'll spend a good portion of the time in the field [weather pending], so come prepared.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by Jun 13)
 
Fundamentals of Plant Communication
Saturday, July 18, 2020 – 10am-4pm
Location – Trumansburg, NY. Specific Location – TBD
The fact that plants do in fact communicate with each other is no longer highly controversial. They may not communicate in the way the way humans or other organisms communicate with each other, but they do send out signals in times of need or stress – or just to say hi. This communication system runs through what I call the plant's neural network. That is, a network of 'synapses' and 'neurons' maintained and enhanced by appropriate soil and plant health. As we begin to understand the physiological, biochemical and spiritual aspects of how plants communicate and how we can interact with plants [as stewards], we can use this knowledge and wisdom to encourage a holistic plant ecosystem beneficial to growing nutritious food.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by Jul 4)
 
Putting the Orchard to Bed
Saturday, October 17, 2020 – 10am – 4pm
Location – Trumansburg, NY. Specific Location – TBD
The end of another long growing season is nearly upon us. Now is the time to help the orchard relax and settle into its winter slumber. The winter season is the time when the orchard and trees rest and contract, breathing in the cosmic forces as they re-energize in preparation for another growing season that's just around the corner. Practices may include the use of biodynamic tree paste, use of other biodynamic preparations, nutrient applications for bud health, lime or compost applications, tree painting, weeding, rodent control, and more. We'll discuss strategies for ensuring that your orchard goes into the winter healthy and strong, ready to get ready for the next growing season.
Cost: $55/$45 (pre-register by Oct 3)